Wind in my face, sand and water in my shoes… beach running

I’m a fan. of how running affects me. My body feels great, my mind feels great, my emotions feel stable (most of the time).
I did indeed run 4 miles on Thursday and 8 on Saturday… on the beach I might add. Alissa and I got up early (not before the sun though) and ran 8 miles on the beach. Such a flat run. It.Was.Great. When I finished my run I took an “ice bath” and by ice I mean ocean water, and bath I mean, still wearing my running clothes. Vay-cay-shun!!! Woot. I love running on vacations. I have no agendas on my time or location.

I played in the waves for what felt like hours that day, which probably counts as additional cross-training time.

I took Sunday off but this became necessary because a shell decided to crawl up into my toe and bite me. I had to hoble around a bit on Sunday and today because of this. So, technically I took today off as well. BUT I did try a new-to-me class at the Y called Flexible Strength. Love. Core, Stability, Flexibility and Stretching= four components my body has been crying for.

The plan for this week includes:
Tues- running
Wed- Yasso 800s (I was supposed to do 4 last week and only did 3, I think I’ll aim at 4 this week)
Thurs- running
Fri- resting
Sat- running

(Oh, you wanted specifics?) You’ll just have to read the next blog for more 🙂

A whole lot of sweat… and running.

Tonight, my friend Amy introduced me to Yasso 800s… I wasn’t sure if we’d still be friends after I endured the grueling pain that is Yasso 800s… but we are! The theory here is that your consistent 800 time predicts your marathon time. ie. 4 minute (4:00) 800 equals a 4 hour (4:00:00) marathon.

(I’m not citing this well, but it’s in quotes, I have no desire to plagiarize). “Bart begins running his Yasso 800s a couple of months before his goal marathon. The first week he does four. On each subsequent week, he adds one more until he reaches 10. The last workout of Yasso 800s should be completed at least 10 days before your marathon, and 14 to 17 days would probably be better. Between the 800s, jog for the same number of minutes it took you to run your repeats.”

This Saturday will be 13 weeks until the BIG DAY!

Running update:
Sunday: 45 mins tennis (cross training)
Tuesday: 4-5 mile run (sidewalks, hills)
Wednesday: 2.75 miles (with 3 800 Yasso’s in that distance) 3:12; 3:44; 3:47 (but no counting chickens or placing bets at this point…) I have to train at a consistent 800 pace for 10 800s I only did 3 (apparently I didn’t memorize the training plan as well as I thought)
Thursday: Plan is…3-4 miles Tempo run
Saturday: Plan is… 8 miles!

Weight update: I put on 2 pounds: Woot! (even with cutting 2 inches off of my hair :)) I’m really working on 3 meals a day and lots of water.

While we were out running, Amy’s daughter made sure to inform us that it was really hot out there. The sweat cleaning out our pores must not have been enough evidence 🙂

Marathon Update

Still training. Tomorrow is my long run of… 5 miles. That sounds so small when I consider in the upcoming weeks it’ll grow to 20… then… 26.2! That sounds like forever.

More than likely this will be my first and only marathon, whew. I’m excited for this opportunity, but quickly realizing how much my life is going to change with the time commitment necessary.

My eating has to change and it is still changing. I’ve been eating a lot of peanut butter lately… calories and protein. I’m tempted to find a calorie tracker… to help increase my intake, but they’re all aimed at helping people reduce calories. Quite frankly, I don’t know how many calories I should have on a normal day, much less during training. Should I see a nutritionist?

My water intake is increasing. I’m using a fun app on my iPhone to track my water intake. It takes into consideration how many minutes of exercise in a day as well as caffeine and other factors such as heat and my body weight to determine how many ounces I need to drink. It’s been great to have the goal every day.

I’ve settled into running four days a week… Tuesday (shorter), Wednesday (longer), Thursday (shorter) and Saturday long run. I then do cross training on Mondays and rest Friday and Sunday. I’ve really enjoyed this pattern.

I’ve been trying to run with people as much as possible, otherwise I get bored easily.

My usual music choices when I’m running include: Bond (electronic classical-high energy); Musicals (such as Wicked… Defying Gravity and running fits so well); and Sermons (Matt Chandler at the Village church in Dallas, TX); Techno (Armin Van Buren).
What do you listen to to workout?

Officially Training for a Marathon!

I officially began my 16 weeks til Marathon training regime on the 26th of July… oh dear.

16 weeks prior
July 26- 15 mile bike ride-spin class
July 27- 2 miles
July 28- 3 miles
July 29- 4 miles
July 31 4 miles

15 weeks prior
Aug 3 3 miles
Aug 4 (flight home from GR- no running)
Aug 5 anticipating 4 miles but the sky looks pretty ominous!
Aug 7 anticipating 5 miles

Running Log- Pre-Marathon Training

monday- 2 miles trail
tuesday- 1 mile road
wednesday- 3.5 miles trail
saturday- 6 miles road

total mileage: 12.5!

And my first ever ice bath after the long run.

Additional long runs will include gast station stops for ice bags.